Outsider Chronicles: Demon Magus
by Dis Lexic
Summary: Its one thing to discover that reincarnation is an actual thing, but its quite another to find out that Gods are very much real as well. It certainly doesn't help that I ended up getting dragged head first into a fight between two of them, found myself with a ridiculously hot stalker and labelled as a Demon King. Yeah, I'm gonna get a massive headache.
1. Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Demon Magus

Its one thing to discover that reincarnation is an actual thing, but its quite another to find out that Gods are very much real as well. It certainly doesn't help that I ended up getting dragged head first into a fight between two of them, found myself with a ridiculously hot stalker and labeled as a Demon King. Add in a Grail War and you have the makings of a truly humongous headache.

 **Well, this should be interesting. Im not sure how far this idea will go, but it should be fun nonetheless. Oh, and before I forget, the Magus and the Mages have no idea each other still exist. They both believe that the other was wiped out centuries back. In terms of strength, Campione lay just a bit weaker than True Ancestors and serve as a bridge between Gaia and Humanity...when their not acting like, well, Demon Kings. For now though, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting when I died. Fluffy clouds? Golden Gates? Perhaps a tall fellow in a black cloak with a scythe? As it happened, I got none of the above. What I got instead was being reborn, an experience I am VERY glad faded from my memory very quickly. Still, I'm not going to complain. Sure, going through puberty twice would be a pain and school would likely be incredibly dull, but at least I knew what not to do this time! Tabula Rasa, a clean slate.

I was born into a perfectly normal family in Japan (I know I know, weeby as hell, but I didn't decide this!) with the only odd one of the bunch being my dear old Grandpa and that was mostly because he was an eccentric ex professor of history and mythology with a ton of old tablets, statues and scrolls laying around his house. I learnt all sorts of things from him growing up, from ancient languages to runes to things about mythology and history I never dreamed of. Looking back, I really should have smelt a rat considering I subconsciously recognized some of the things he spoke about. If I had, maybe I would have done things a bit differently in the future.

Anyway, its probably a good thing that I had such a close relationship with my Grandfather because, when I was just six years old, my family and I were caught in a massive fire that consumed a huge portion of the city, killing countless people, including my parents. Incredibly, against all odds, I survived. But then again, I had always been lucky. After the fire, my Grandpa took me in and raised me himself (my Grandmother had passed away shortly after I was born, so I didn't know her). Of course, even that was doomed to end sooner rather than later.

When I was 16, Grandpa came down with the flu and, as is unfortunately common with people as old as him, wasn't able to fully recover. He died shortly after, but not before leaving me with some parting words.

" _Live for yourself, never allow anyone to tell you how to live your life."_

Wise words and ones I fully intended to live up to.

Fortunately, I didn't end up getting booted into foster care. My Grandfather and parents had left me a not insignificant amount of money, as well as a small house and, other than a social worker occasionally sticking her head around the door, I was mostly left alone, provided I went to school, kept my grades up and so on. There was one last thing I needed to do for the old man though.

Other than the advice, one of the last things he asked me to do was return a tablet depicting Prometheus to an old friend of his in Sardinia. Fortunately, it was the summer hols and I'd always wanted to go to Italy, so I decided to make it a sightseeing trip as well. If I had figured out what had been bugging me about the tablet before then, I might have sent it by mail instead.

Since I could speak Italian, the trip started off rather well. My first stop was Cagliari, the island's capital, where I quickly found that trying to find the woman was much easier than I was expecting. Apparently, she had a rather large house a few miles out of the city.

* * *

"Well, that was a lot easier than I thought," I mused as I walked towards the train station to catch a train to the closest village to the house, "Now if only I could figure out why this thing is keeping me on edge..."

The tablet was about the size of an A4 sheet, carved with the likeness of Prometheus and the sun. Despite being nothing more than a lump of stone, I couldn't help but feel that it was so much more than that. I couldn't put my finger on why though.

"Hey kid," said a female voice from behind me, breaking from my thoughts.

"Hmm...HUH?!"

I turned, only to freeze in utter shock at the sight of the speaker. She was a beautiful young woman with long, blond hair, blue eyes and an incredible figure that was only enhanced by the red and black dress she wore. She was also threatening me with a pocket knife, but I was too busy trying to reboot my brain to really register that as a cold feeling settled in my gut.

"Hand over that Grimoire at once," said the woman, providing the kick I needed to restart my brain.

As soon as it was, I glanced down at the tablet in my hands and scowled.

"Oh you have got to be…" I said before bursting into a rather impressive set of profanities in around 30 different languages, including three dead ones and one that hadn't been heard since Gilgamesh was walking around calling people mongrels.

Erica Blandelli (because who else would it be?) seemed rather taken aback by the sudden barrage of verbal filth spewing from my mouth, although I doubt she understood all of it. However, the meaning behinds the words was perfectly clear even without understanding. Eventually though, I ran out of profanities and wrapped it up with an extremely succinct:

"...FUCKING KIDDING ME!"

In English. Really, modern languages have so little poetry compared to the old ones. Rage now spent, I took a deep breath and turned to the blushing and scandalized looking Erica with a calm smile that was completely at odds with my earlier storm of swearing.

"Sorry about that," I said, "I just realized that my Grandpa may have screwed me over."

"How did you even learn half of those languages?" asked Erica, before looking at me suspiciously, "Are you a Mage?"

"Nope, just a perfectly normal High School student," I said, "Anyway, you'll have to forgive the delayed interruption, my name is Kariya Ishida. And you are…?"

Erica seemed to be getting more off balance by the minute, although I can't really blame her. I mean, my reaction to being held at knifepoint was to start swearing, followed by apologizing about it, admitting I'm not a mage, despite not really reacting as normal to that question, and introducing myself. Still, she managed to pull herself together and drew herself up.

"I am Erica Blandelli of the Copper Black Cross," she said, "And I must once again ask you to hand over that Grimoire!"

She gestured with her knife to the tablet in my hands.

"Actually, this isn't mine," I said, "My Grandpa asked me to return this to someone before he died."

"Who?" asked Erica.

"A woman by the name of Lucretia Zola."

Erica blinked in surprise.

"Wait, you mean the Witch of Sardinia?" she asked, "Why would she…"

She was interrupted as the air was suddenly rent by an enormous bellow that made the air and glass vibrate from its intencity and forced me to cover my ears in pain.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" I spluttered, "What is that?"

Erica spun around, a scared look on her face that only got worse when she saw the massive pig that had just appeared in the bay.

"Oh god...its a Rogue God!" she gasped.

"That...can't be good," I said.

"Get out of here!" shouted Erica as she took off down the street, jumping onto the roof of a car as it drove past, no doubt driven by her maid.

"Yeahhhh, somehow I don't think that'll be an option," I muttered, but none the less took off in the opposite direction to the oversized ham sandwich.

Maybe if I could get far enough away I could avoid having to deal with this shit...I let out a yelp as I tripped over a bit of rubble, the tablet flying from my hand.

"Owww," I muttered as I stood.

"Does this belong to you?"

I looked up and suppressed the urge to sigh when I saw the purple haired boy stood a few feet away with the tablet in hand.

"Yeah, it does," I said, "You should get out of here though kid. Theres a rather large porker rampaging through the port."

Verethragna ignored me.

"Hehe, this is funny," said the God.

"Uh huh," I said, "So, who are you exactly? You don't look Italian."

Verethragna looked up and met my eyes and I had to suppress the urge to fall to my knees. Blimey, he sure does have a lot of power if he can do that just by meeting my eyes.

"I am the Victor," he said with a slight smirk, as if he was impressed by my resilience, "The strongest and he who will defeat every enemy."

He paused and looked thoughtful.

"Although I don't think its necessarily bad to have a taste of defeat. I try to revive the Kings of the Ancient Gods in order to fight them, but I have yet to be defeated."

I narrowed my eyes, but before I could say anything, Erica shot overhead.

"Huh, shes good," I muttered.

"Do you know that Witch?" asked Verethragna.

"Not really," I said, "I don't suppose I could have that back? Only, I promised my Grandpa I'd deliver it for him."

"Oh?"

Verethragna glanced between me and the Tablet, before bursting out into rather maniacal laughter.

"Oh, this is perfect!" he crowed, "It seems your a good kid and a good Warrior! This Thief has told me so!"

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, the sound of a scream reached my ears and I tensed. Despite my desires to avoid getting involved, I knew that if I didn't, Erica would likely die. There is no way that my conscious would allow that to happen, so I basically had to make my peace with getting dragged head first into a crazy ass magical world.

"Are you going?" asked Verethragna.

"Yeah, so can I have it back now?" I asked, holding out my hand.

The God looked thoughtful, before nodding and handing it over.

"Very well, I will let you hold onto this," he said.

"How nice of you," I muttered under my breath.

I don't think that stopped Verethragna from hearing it though as he smirked.

"Farewell for now little Outsider," he said, "I look forwards to seeing what you do with this power."

"Wait, what?" I said, but I was distracted by a brilliant light as a white horse appeared and the tablet glowed brightly.

By the time I could see again, the Heretic God was gone.

"Well shit, looks like I'll have to get answers later," I grumbled as I put the tablet into my bag and took off down the street after Erica.

* * *

It didn't take long to find her, not when she and the Boar were trying to overpower one another with energy attacks. It was clear that Erica was about to get pushed off the roof though, so I kicked the door of the building in and sprinted up the stairs, reaching the third floor window just in time to catch Erica as she fell past.

"Wha...what are you doing here?!" she gasped.

"Saving your pretty little ass," I grunted as I hauled her up.

Erica's cheeks pinked ever so slightly and she opened her mouth to respond, but before she could we were buffeted by a large windstorm. We both looked up to see the Boar struggling as a large tornado surrounded it.

"T-thats the Avatar of a God!" gasped Erica, before a large flash forced us to close out eyes.

When I could see again, I opened my eyes to see that both the Boar and the tornado had gone, leaving the destroyed port empty of threats.

"Well, that was interesting," I said.

Erica scowled and punched my arm.

* * *

Later, Erica and I were sat at the local train station, waiting for the train as Erica explained what and how Heretic gods were and affected the world around them.

"I don't get it though, how can you possess such a powerful Grimoire and not know all that?" she asked.

"Well, like I said earlier, this was actually my Grandpa's," I said, "I'm not entirely sure how he came to have it in his possession, but before he died, he asked me to return it."

"To Lucretia Zola, right?" asked Erica, "But why would she give something like that to a Japanese person?"

"Hell if I know, but I got the impression he dated her for a while," I said.

"Sounds like he was quite the social butterfly," she said.

"That he was," I said with a fond smile, "He was also nutty as a fruitcake and loved pissing people off, just to see their reactions."

I sighed.

"I miss the old geezer…"

There was a moment's silence.

"Wheres the train?" I growled eventually.

"This is why I didn't want to take the train," said Erica haunterly.

"Right, and why are you tagging along again?" I asked, "Not that I mind having a beautiful girl as a traveling companion or anything."

Erica gave me a flat look.

"As a Knight of the Copper Black Cross, my duties will not allow me to leave that Grimoire be," she said, "And I would appreciate it if you didn't make such comments."

"Yeah, not likely," I said, "I won't quit until I make you blush. Think of it as payback for holding me at knifepoint earlier."

Erica's eye twitched ever so slightly.

"Anyway, hurry up and carry my luggage," said Erica as she got to her feet, "We'll go by car."

I snorted, but did as asked. It was only polite after all and Grandpa had raised me to be a proper gentleman.

* * *

About an hour later, we reached Lucretia's house, although how we managed it without dieing I will never know.

"How in the world did she pass her driving test?!" I growled as I stumbled out of the car.

"Oriana's only faults as a Maid are that shes terrible at making stew and she can't drive," said a completely unruffled Erica as she got out of the car.

"Next time, I'm driving," I growled.

"I haven't see you before," said a voice from the roof of the house, "Who are you?"

We looked up to see a black cat perched on the roof.

"Pardon the intrusion," said Erica, "We're here with a delivery from Soken Ishida for Lucretia Zola."

"Soken?" asked the cat.

The gate buzzed and opened.

"Come on it," it said and we did as bidden.

The cat led us into a rather spacious and tastefully decorated sitting room where a beautiful and shapely woman with long, pale brown hair and purple eyes was waiting, clad in nothing but some black and purple lingerie. All in all, exactly the kind of woman I'd be drooling over...if I wasn't pretty sure she'd slept with my Grandpa at some point. I do NOT want to touch a relationship like that with a ten foot pole.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Lucretia in a voice that was dripping in sexuality, "I shouldn't be lazy just because I can use magic."

"Lemie guess, magic slows the aging process?" I asked.

"My, aren't you a clever one," said Lucretia as she shifted into a pose that showed off her every curve, "Yes, while I may be pretty old my normal standards, I'm nowhere near my decline. So what do you say big boy? Want to give this body a try?"

"How lude," muttered Erica.

"Pass," I said, "As tempting as that sounds, I really don't want to do it with someone who can honestly say 'thats not how your Grandpa did it'."

Lucretia giggled.

"Well, suit yourself I suppose," she said, "Its too bad though, I would have liked to see how you stacked up…"

Now that did make me blush, earning me a glare from Erica. Lucretia giggled again, before picking up the tablet I'd handed her earlier and she'd tossed aside in favor of teasing me.

"Hmm, ah, the Secret Book of Prometheus, this brings back memories," she said, making Erica gasp.

"Prometheus?" she asked.

"Oh yes," purred Lucretia.

"So, what will you do with it?" asked Erica.

"Hmm, I'm not sure," said Lucretia, "It'd be terrible if bad people started gathering because of this. If possible I'd like someone to look after it."

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Boy, did you happen to run into anyone else on your way here?" she asked.

"Well, there was this kid who was giving out a frankly scary amount of power," I said thoughtfully, making Erica stiffen beside me.

"Hmm, alright then, I suppose I'll give it to you," she said, tossing me the tablet.

"Oh deep joy," I said.

"Wait a moment!" said Erica in protest, "You do realize hes a beginner at Magic, right? If you give it to him then…"

"And I came all the way here to give it back," I said.

"It seems that the Gods wish it to be in the hands of that boy," said Lucretia.

"That can't be right," said Erica.

"Its inevitable," said the Witch with a smirk that looked rather sinister in the dying evening light, "All the strings of Fate are strung together…"

"Yeah well, I don't believe in Fate," I said.

"Maybe not, but belief does not mean that it does not exist," said Lucretia, "After all, so many people believe that Magic is nothing but a fairy tale."

I sighed in annoyance.

"Fine, I'll keep an eye on it," I muttered.

"Thats a good boy," said Lucretia.

"I can't believe this foolishness!" snapped Erica, "A Grimoire from the Era of the Gods in the hands of a novice? ARG!"

She stormed off.

"Well, that could have gone better," said Lucretia lightly.

I just gave her a flat look.

 **And done. So yeah, our hero, one Kariya Ishida, will be taking Godou's place as the Seventh King. Godou will probably still be making a cameo at some point though.**

 **No, Kariya has no relation to Uryu and Bleach will not be making an appearance. As fun as it could be to have him kick Aizens arse up and down Reality.**

 **I think it goes without saying that the fire he survived was the one caused by the Fourth War.**

 **Next time, a new King is born. Hmm, I wonder what the addition of an Outsider as a Campione will do to this world? Keep reading to find out, but first, review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Demon Magus

Its one thing to discover that reincarnation is an actual thing, but its quite another to find out that Gods are very much real as well. It certainly doesn't help that I ended up getting dragged head first into a fight between two of them, found myself with a ridiculously hot stalker and labeled as a Demon King. Add in a Grail War and you have the makings of a truly humongous headache.

 **And we are back! Nothing to say, other than enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Well, this sucks. It was the morning after we arrived at Lucretia's house and, after a rather entertaining evening watching Erica get royally plastered, I had been saddled with the job of putting her to bed. Why I agreed I have no idea since I knew that Lucretia would take the opportunity to lock me in the bedroom with her. Now, don't get me wrong, seeing Erica in nothing but her skivvies is a sight I would happily give my right arm for, I can't help but feel rather guilty that its because of what amounts to Ecchi logic and a perverted, oversexed Witch. The fact she nearly brained me the next morning when she woke up and spotted me sleeping on the couch in the room is another.

"Die right here and now!" snarled the bright red Knight as she glowered down at me.

"You do realize this is partly your fault, right?" I grumbled as I rubbed my dead arm in an attempt to bring some feeling back.

I had reacted on instinct when Erica had swung at me and blocked her fist with my arm, but she was incredibly strong and that had just resulted in me losing all feeling in said limb.

"And how is that?!" growled Erica.

"You got plastered last night," I deadpanned, "And since Arianna did to, I had to put you to bed. Its not my fault Lucretia has a bad sense of humor."

"That may be true, but now you have this unlady-like image of me burnt into your retinas," said Erica, cracking her knuckles, "No matter whos fault it is, I'll have to punish you!"

I raised an eyebrow and eyed her up and down.

"Unladylike eh?" I muttered, "Sure, but it sure is a nice image."

Erica's jaw dropped as her face went bright red, the blush stretching all the way down to the tops of her breasts.

"HAH, told you I'd make you blush," I said with a smirk.

Erica gritted her teeth.

"Why you little…"

CRASH!

We both stumbled as the ground shook from the massive crash.

"What was...oh dear," I said a I looked out the window and saw the rain, "Why do I get the feeling thats not a good sign?"

Erica ignored me as she snatched up her discarded dress and donned it at incredible speed, before sprinting outside. I followed her and arrived just in time to find her gaping up at the massive form of Melqart .

"Please wait oh mighty God!" shouted Erica.

The gigantic warrior paused and looked down at us. I swallowed nervously as I felt his massive power wash over me like a wave of hot wind.

" **How arrogant must you be, Child of Man, to stop a Gods advance,"** rumbled the mighty being.

"Forgive my disrespect, but unless I'm mistaken, you are Melqart, the King of the Ancestral line, the Ancient Venetian God?" asked Erica.

" **So, there are are still praiseworthy individuals who know the names of the Ancient Kings,"** said Melqart, **"I AM MELQART, the King once known throughout this isle...no, throughout these entire waters!"**

A massive bolt of lightning suddenly shot out of the heavens and struck the mighty King on his bracers as he swung up his arm to block the attack.

"Lightning?" I muttered.

"It rarely rains on the Island of Sardinia," said Erica, "This is probably…"

She was cut off as a bolt of lightning lit up a gap in the clouds, revealing a pair of yellow eyes with bar shaped pupils. I twitched as I felt the tablet under my coat start vibrating and heat up slightly from the presence of another Avatar.

" **As always, you are adept at changing your form,"** rumbled Melqart, **"I must hurry."**

"If Melqart has manifested, that must mean…" muttered Erica, before trailing off.

She snapped her fingers and her dress transformed into her combat gear in a flash of red as she jumped over the wall. She paused as she landed on top of it and glanced back at me.

"You stay here," she said.

"And just what are you planning to do?" I asked.

"I'm going to try and stop this battle," she said, "Melqart is one of the strongest of the Mediterranean Gods. If I don't stop them, this Island will perish."

"Do you actually have a chance?" I asked, although I already knew the answer to that.

Erica twitched.

"Its a Knight's duty to protect the people," she said softly.

I frowned.

"Oh no, not a chance," I said.

"Huh?" said Erica, looking back at me in surprise.

"My Grandpa taught me that I should never allow someone to fight an impossible battle alone," I said seriously, "There is no way I'm letting you go and get yourself killed if I could help."

I smirked.

"Besides, if you died, how could you get me back for making you blush this morning? Its no fun to leave a game unfinished."

Erica frowned.

"I cannot guarantee your safety if you come," she said.

I shrugged.

"Thats fine," I said, "I know I'm walking into the lions den. I can take a bit of danger."

I grinned.

"Besides, how can I resist the opportunity to watch a fight between Gods?"

Erica stared at me in shock for a moment, before letting out an unladylike snort.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," said Erica, "Lets go."

As if on cue, Arianna pulled the car up in front of us. Erica hopped onto the roof while I climbed in, inwardly praying that I'd survive to reach the fight.

* * *

Fortunately, the road was relatively straight, so Arianna had no excuse for driving like a maniac. Unfortunately, that meant that I had nothing to distract me from my thoughts as I stared down at the Tablet. The main thought on my mind was why in the world was I doing this? I mean, now that I'd handed the Tablet over to Lucretia (even if she had passed it right back), there was nothing to stop me from simply leaving and forgetting this ever happened. As it was, I was running head first into danger that could well get me killed or result in me becoming a being worshipped and reviled in equal measure.

I snorted and shook my head. Actually, the answer to that was simple. As much as I tried to deny it (in the safety of my own head), the truth of the matter is that I couldn't wait. The idea of seeing, and perhaps fighting, with Gods was simply to tempting for me to resist. Combined with my incredible luck that allowed me to survive that fire all those years ago without a scratch and win virtually every game of chance I've ever entered and I was practically a shoo in for the Seventh King.

"Kariya, look!" called Erica from the roof, snapping me out of my introspection.

I glanced out the window and, sure enough, there was the shadow of a massive bird flying alongside the car.

"Huh, thats not normal," I said as I glanced up at the empty sky above.

"Its a Divine Beast, the Bird of Pray" said Erica, "It must be here so it can merge into a single form again."

I returned my attention to the road ahead as the massive form of Melqart and the much smaller form of Verethragna swam into view. I smirked.

"This was going to be fun," I said, "Melqart vs Verethragna. Talk about an impressive matchup."

"Wha...how do you know him?" gasped Erica.

"He's the Persian God of War and Light," I said, "Lucretia told me about him."

"I see…" said Erica, not taking her eyes of the two combatants.

As we got closer, the Knight leaped from the roof, transforming her sword into a shield as she went.

"Something tells me this won't go well," I muttered as Arianna stopped the car.

"Probably not," said the Maid, looking oddly serious.

I let out a huff and opened the door.

"Wait, where are you going?!" gasped Arianna.

"I didn't tag along to sit on the sidelines," I said, "You get out of here, but I'm going for a closer look."

"No, wai…"

I cut Arianna off as I shut the door and started running towards the fight.

* * *

I reached it just in time to see Verethragna start throwing lightning bolts at Erica, forcing her to jump out of the way. She avoided the first two, but the third knocked her shield out of her hand and the fourth would have hit her if I hadn't have tackled her out of the way.

"K-Kariya…" she spluttered as she stared up at me with wide eyes.

"Well, that was rather rude," I said as I stood up, "Are you OK?"

"I-I think so," said Erica.

"Great, lets find some cover," I said, grabbing her hand and dragging her further into the ruins the Gods were using as a battlefield.

I skidded to a stop once we were closer to Melqart and took a deep breath. Might as well dig into Godou's bag of tricks seeing as I'm going to be taking his place.

"Hey Melqart!" I called.

" **Huh?"** said the God as he turned to me.

"Verethragna's power of the White Horse lies within!" I called, holding up the tablet, "What do you say, wanna team up with me? If you protect the two of us, he won't be able to return to his full form!"

Melqart stared down at me for a moment.

" **Are you trying to use me, a God?"** he asked at length, incredulity clear in his tone.

"I prefer to think of it more of a shared interest," I said with a smirk, "You want to beat the arrogant brat and we don't want to get fried. Keep us safe and we both win."

Melqart stared at me for a moment longer, before he burst into great belly laughs.

" **AHAHAHAHAHA, WELL, AREN'T YOU AN IMPERTINENT ONE,"** he rumbled, **"Very well Human!"**

He spun around and took a swipe at Verethragna, who easily flipped out of the way.

"It seems that my initial prognosis was correct about you," said the God of Victory, "Now, MAKE THIS FUN FOR ME!"

He fired a bolt of lightning in mine and Erica's direction.

"KARIYA!" shouted Erica, but the bolt just deflected of a golden shield.

" **Hahaha, you'd call that divine intervention,"** said Melqart, **"Be grateful Human!"**

The two gods clashed once more with a crash that even drowned out the thunder.

"What are you going to do now Kariya?" asked Erica.

"Hell if I know," I said, "I haven't thought that far ahead."

"How can you just stand there and smile?" asked Erica incredulously.

I glanced back at her, completely unable to remove my grin from my face.

"How can I not?" I asked, "I never believed that I'd have the chance to see something like this! A duel between Gods!"

"HAH, as expected of the Child I bet on!" crowed Verethragna as he summoned his sword, "But its still not enough that I would lose!"

He shot towards us, evading Melqarts club by inches as he slammed the blade into the shield, the tip penetrating the barrier in a shower of sparks and a terrible rending sound.

"A golden sword," muttered Erica, "Wait, I remember that Sword! It has the power to cut through Divinity!"

"Does it now?" I asked with a rapidly widening grin that was beginning to look ever so slightly maniacal.

"The Sword steals Divinity from a God, forcing it to fall from Godhood," said Erica, not noticing my grin.

I was mostly playing the part of ignorant newbee, but the grin was all real. I think I might have the instincts of a Demon after all.

"I wish to experience defeat!" said Verethragna, his own crazed grin splitting his features in two, "Ancient King, Child of Man, you shall entertain me more!"

"Kariya, you have to run away!" said Erica.

"Not a chance!" I said, "I was given a weapon to use in this fight and I will not leave before I have a chance to use it!"

Erica took a step back, her eyes wide in surprise.

"But if a Human uses that, their body will break down, killing them!" she protested.

"And if I don't use it we'll both die," I said, finally losing my manic grin, "I won't allow that."

Erica looked even more surprised by that.

"Kariya, its a Knights job to sacrifice herself," she protested.

"Maybe so, but I still don't want to see you die," I said, "As much as I hate to say it considering how we met, I've taken a bit of a liking to you."

I winked at her.

"You've sacrificed enough, its my turn now."

Erica snorted.

"That was so uncool," she said.

"Hey!"

Erica chuckled again.

"You know, your a lot like Epimetheus," she said.

"You mean the Titan of Hindsight?" I asked.

"Yep, he was a fool too," she said, "Idiot."

She stepped forwards and kissed me lightly on the cheek. Despite myself, I felt my cheeks warming.

"That was for good luck, now make it a good show," said Erica with a smirk.

I grinned and nodded.

"Of course," I said.

At that moment, Verethragna shattered the barrier with a yell of victory, just as I spun around and aimed the tablet at him. There was a massive surge of energy and the White Horse erupted from the Tablet with enough force to push my heels into the muddy ground. Almost immediately, I felt the backlash from the tremendous release of power as it felt like someone had just injected molten lava into my body as my muscles began to burn. I was locked in place, unable to move or scream, until the blast finally ended and I was thrown back. Thankfully, the burning stopped, but my entire body ached. Considering I was probably coming apart at an Atomic level, thats not really that surprising.

"Kariya!" shouted Erica as she ran to my side.

"I cannot be defeated by my own Avatar!" yelled Verethragna, looking rather angry.

"Heh, I stole it," I said, making Erica cock her head in confusion, "I stole his Golden Sword!"

At that moment, the blade in Verethragna's hand vanished.

"It can cut through Divinity, right?" I asked, "So how do I use it?"

Erica looked at me in surprise for a moment, before she smirked and her cheeks pinked slightly.

"I don't know what else I was expecting," she said, "You've more than earnt this Kariya…"

I blinked, but before I could respond, she stepped forwards and kissed me full on the lips. My first thought was how soft and warm her lips were, followed by the fact she tasted of strawberrys, before a searing heat flowed from her into me and my entire body lit up as knowledge flowed into my mind. In response, the light spread, washing away the land around us in favour of the Golden World. The swords immediately moved, spinning to point at a shocked looking Verethragna.

"Ah…"

SHUNK!

The God jerked as a sword shot at him with the speed of a bullet and penetrated him through the stomach. He stared down at uncomprehendingly for a moment. Then, his body burst into flames and he started laughing.

"AHAHAHA, excellent work boy," he said calmly, despite the flames licking his body, "I admit, I never truly believed that you'd be able to kill me...I guess that will teach me to never underestimate an Outsider."

He smiled as his body began to dissolve.

"Continue to grow stronger, young Outsider, continue to grow and win. Don't you ever lose a fight, not until the day we meet again!"

Finally, the last of the Gods body faded, along with the sword, leaving nothing but his crest floating in the air before me as my legs gave way and I fell into darkness.

 **And done. I know that a great deal of this and the last chapter were Canon, but from this point on, things will begin to change. After all, you can't expect a Campione who's also an Outsider to not screw over Fate, can you? Hehehe.**

 **Just to be clear, although Kariya is a little perverted (he is a teenaged male after all), hes mostly just trying to get a rise out of Erica. Trust me, the relationship between those two will be different from the one between Erica and Godou, mainly because Kariya is nowhere near as passive as the original Seventh King. He also has no problem embracing his role...as a King, not a Demon.**

 **As for pairings, well, it'll be Godou's original girls...plus at least one more who I'll be keeping to myself for now. There may be others, but their not set in stone yet.**

 **Anyway, I am now done, so I'll sign off. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	3. Chapter 3

Outsider Chronicles: Demon Magus

Its one thing to discover that reincarnation is an actual thing, but its quite another to find out that Gods are very much real as well. It certainly doesn't help that I ended up getting dragged head first into a fight between two of them, found myself with a ridiculously hot stalker and labeled as a Demon King. Add in a Grail War and you have the makings of a truly humongous headache.

 **And we are back! Nothing to say, other than enjoy!**

Chapter 3

I was laying back on a surface that was neither hot nor cold, hard nor soft. It simply existed, supporting my body. Speaking of which, my body no longer hurt. In fact, I felt more at peace and comfortable than ever before, even more so than my own bed.

"The black Art that Epimetheus and I left behind, the Sacred birth of an Illegitimate child, shrouded in darkness, born of a Fool and a Witch," said a childish voice, cutting through the peaceful silence, "A secret right of Usurpation, only possible through the sacrifice of a God."

I opened my eyes and found myself staring up into a pair of bright green eyes set into a beautiful, if child-like, face.

"In other words, all of the conditions have been met," said Pandora, smiling down at me, "And you shall receive a gift from the Heavens. But you already knew that. Right, little Outsider?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Well to put it simply, the sacrificing of your life in order to slay Verethragna has succeeded," said Pandora.

"Thats not what I meant," I said, "Why did you call me an Outsider? Verethragna called me that as well."

Pandora just smiled.

"You will find out in time," she said, "But for now, I welcome you to this new world, Kariya Ishida, as a Campione, a God-Slayer, a King among Kings, a Campione…"

* * *

I groaned as I opened my eyes and found myself staring up at my bedroom ceiling. That damned dream again. I thought Campione were supposed to forget about their time with Pandora! Maybe I remembered because I knew it happened…

I let out another groan and sat up, ignoring the warm body that was sharing my bed (uninvited I might add) as I did. It had been a week since I had killed Verethragna and, while I'm sure you would love nothing more than to hear of my test fights with Doni, I really don't feel like giving that moron any more page space than necessary. Suffice to say, I had discovered that my Authorities were the exact same as Godou's.

I shook my head to banish those thoughts as I opened my wardrobe and ran a hand through my hair to attempt to make it lay flat. Looking back at me in the mirror attached to the door was a tall, well built teenager with messy, black hair and dark purple eyes. The impressive muscle tone was new, a result of becoming a Campione.

"So, is there any particular reason you've migrated to my bed?" I asked as I started getting dressed.

"Well, where else would I sleep?" asked Erica as she sat up, "We love each other after all."

I gave her a flat look.

"Speak for yourself," I said, "I didn't invite you to stay with me because I've randomly fallen for you, I just knew there was no way you'd leave me be once you showed up at my doorstep. Might as well cut out the middleman and keep you from getting in trouble for breaking and entering."

"My, how cold," said Erica, leaning forwards slightly so I got an excellent view of her cleavage.

True, she slept in the nude, but she had wrapped my sheets around herself when she'd sat up. Somehow, the entire set up looked so much sexier than if she was just nude. I rolled my eyes and turned back to my wardrobe.

"Erica, I do like you," I said, "But I certainly don't love you...yet."

"Oh really?" asked Erica, "In that case, I guess I should just try harder…"

I stiffened slightly as Erica's arms looped around my neck and she molded her soft body against my back. I gulped at the feeling of her soft breasts against my back, even through my uniform.

"I can be very...persuasive," she breathed in my ear, making me shiver.

"A-anyway, I need to get breakfast before school," I said quickly, stepping out of her embrace.

Erica just giggled as I fled the room.

"Man, that is not good for my blood pressure," I muttered as I headed downstairs, "Hmm, now how should I return fire?"

In the past week, Erica and I had been playing at trying to get the other to blush, resulting in some pretty interesting exchanges of flirting and outrageous comments. As a result, I was actually a lot more comfortable with the idea of being with the blond than Godou was at this point. The main problem was that I was extremely likely to end up with more girls trying to get into my pants and I really didn't know how it was going to make me react.

I paused when the sound of humming floating out of my kitchen filtered into my brain. I blinked and stuck my head into the living room, which was connected to my kitchen. Stood with her back to me, chopping something on the side, was a girl with long, violet hair tied up with a pink ribbon, wearing a frilly apron over her school uniform. She also happened to be part of the reason I never twigged that Campione is a thing, despite the fact I quite literally had it staring me in the face in the form of a photo of Grandpa and Lucretia and the Prometheus Grimoire in my possession. What do I mean by that? Well, you know how my Parents died in a fire? Well, that fire happened to have a few other survivors, one of whom I happened to attend school with and had a hero complex on par with Batman and Harry Potter combined. For those not keeping up, it was Fate and the girl happened to be Sakura Matou.

Yeah, I had somehow ended up taking Shirou's place as her rock in this reality after I happened upon Shinji shouting at her in an alleyway after school one day. Since I hate bullies and the seaweed haired moron, I stepped in and kicked the bastards arse. As a result, I ended up taking her under my wing as it were, helped greatly by the fact we were in the same class. About a year ago, after I was injured in an accident and broke my arm, she started coming over to help me around the house and hadn't stopped since, despite my half hearted protests. Frankly, it was hard to do anything to stop her when I knew how she was treated at home. And I'm sure the fact that I had a pretty girl fixing me food had nothing to do with it either.

Due to my trip abroad and the chaos caused by Erica showing up and moving in, I hadn't had chance to do more than leave her a message on her phone that I was back home.

"Well, you certainly didn't waste any time," I said as I walked over and lent against the counter.

Sakura looked up and smiled at me.

"Good morning Kariya," she said, "And I happen to like cooking for you."

"And I love eating your cooking," I said, "Still, you don't need to come over every day."

Sakura's smile faulted and I had to hide a wince. Yeah, she technically did if she wanted to get away from Zouken and Shinji.

"Never mind, you can come whenever you want," I said, "I just meant you don't need to cook and clean when you do."

Sakura gave me a look that suggested she thought I was being an idiot.

"But I like doing it," she said, "And besides, if I don't cook for you, you always end up eating nothing but those frozen meals."

I opened my mouth to protest, but closed it again a moment later. I couldn't really say anything since it was true. Cooking was...not one of my talents.

"Fine," I grumbled.

At that moment, there was the sound of socked feet on the stairs and we both looked up.

"Kariya, is someone here?" asked Sakura.

I winced. This was not going to end well for me. I was proven right a moment later when Erica emerged from the hall in nothing but a rather sheer nightdress and a pair of white stockings.

"Kariya, would you mind…" she said, but stopped when she saw Sakura.

For a moment, there was silence as the two girls stared at each other, before two glares turned on me, making me want to do nothing more than cower under the table. Devil King I may be, but that didn't mean I wasn't scared shitless of angry women, particularly those out to defend their territory.

"Kariya, who is this?" asked both girls at the exact same time.

I winced.

"Er, Sakura, this is Erica Blandelli, a friend I met in Italy," I said, "Erica, this is Sakura Matou, a friend from school..."

I trailed off as both girls seemed to up their glares. I think breakfast was going to be rather awkward…

* * *

I was completely correct. After managing to convince Erica to go and put some proper clothes on and Sakura to finish breakfast, we all ended up sitting in a very tense silence around the dinner table. Naturally, Erica had claimed the seat next to me and was sitting close enough that she was nearly in my lap while Sakura glowered at the blond.

"So, you two met in Italy?" asked Sakura at length.

"Thats right," I said, "Actually, I didn't even know that Erica had come to Japan until she showed up last night."

"Is that so?" said Sakura as Arianna (and I had no idea where she had come from) appeared from the kitchen and put a cup in front of Erica.

"Pretty much," I said.

"Thats rather cold, don't you think?" asked the Knight, "I simply feel like accepting your love now, thats all."

I groaned as Sakura's glare cranked up to eleven.

"Is this payback for the Tsundere act?" I muttered.

"Oh, don't you remember?" asked Erica with a smirk, "We shared a bed together at Lucretia's house and the day after we shared a hot bacio…"

She blushed slightly as she smiled at the memory.

"A k-k-k-kiss?!" spluttered Sakura, "Y-you and…"

She somehow managed to both pale in horror and blush brightly at the same time, resulting in her going a rather interesting purple colour. However, I was too busy trying to stem the headache that was beginning to pound behind my eyes.

"Erica, that was because we were facing a God," I growled without thinking.

Sakura blinked.

"Wait, what?" she said.

"Oh, um, never mind," I said quickly.

I really didn't want word of me being a Campione getting back to Zouken somehow.

"But its true we shared a kiss, is it not?" asked Erica.

"That it is," I said immediately, "However, its also true that you nearly killed me after that 'night together' since it was a result of you drinking far too much and Lucretia's idea of either a joke or matchmaking."

Erica blushed at the mention of what actually happened with that incident while Sakura looked somewhere between relevant and annoyed at the revelation.

"Anyway, we should be going," I said as I got to my feet and took my plate to the sink, "Erica, try not to make a mess of my sheets and if you go out, lock up after yourself. Later!"

Erica let out a scandalized yelp at the insinuation as Sakura and I headed out for school.

* * *

"Hey Kariya," said the purple haired girl as we walked towards the school.

"Hmm?"

"Was what she said...true?" she asked in a small voice.

"Eh, sort of," I said, "She was twisting the facts somewhat though."

"I see," she mumbled, "So you are dating her?"

I grunted and made a so-so gesture with my hand.

"Not really," I said, "More like she's decided she's in love with me and I have no idea how to tell her to get lost."

Or inclination for that matter. Seriously, Erica was hotter than hell and I knew it would take a lot to get her to bugger off. As such, I had very few incentives to actually try. Sakura looked a little pleased at that revelation.

"Thats good," she muttered, quietly enough that I nearly missed it.

"Hmm? What was that?" I asked.

"Nothing. Come on, lets hurry or we'll be late," said Sakura with a smile, grabbing my hand and pulling me along as she sped up.

* * *

We arrived in school and immediately headed to our classroom where our classmates greeted me.

"Hey Kariya, how was Italy?" asked the boy sitting next to me...who happened to be Kusanagi Godou.

How the fuck did I miss that?

"Lets see, gorgeous weather, views and women...it was great!" I said with a grin, "I did nearly get caught up in a freak hurricane though…"

"Speaking of Italy, did you guys hear we're getting a new transfer student?" asked the guy behind Godou, "I hear shes Italian, really pretty and of noble lineage!"

"I bet shes really a Devil in disguise," I deadpanned, already preparing for the inevitable chaos that would come from Erica's introduction.

"Alright everyone, settle down," said the teacher as she entered, followed by Erica, "I will now introduce our new Transfer student…"

"Hi everyone, Bongiorno," said Erica, cutting off the teacher, "There is something I must explain to all of you. You see, I have already promised my future to someone…"

The class lit up with whispers and I flinched slightly as I felt Sakura's glare burning a hole in the back of my head from across the classroom.

"And that person...is Kariya Ishida!"

I let my head fall to the desk in front of me with a thump as everyone looked between the two of us in shock. I tilted my head up as I sensed Erica step up beside my desk and fixed the blond Knight with a half hearted glare.

"Really?" I growled.

Erica just smirked.

"Now we can be together all the time Kariya," she said loudly and airily, before kissing me on the cheek.

I let out another groan of annoyance as Erica hypnotised the girl next to me to give up her seat. She was definitely doing this on purpose. It really didn't help that I could feel Sakura's glare increase in intensity. This was really gonna blow…

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," said Erica and I knew she was about to make things worse for me, "I rented a new apartment earlier. We can break it in later."

I shuddered under the Killing Intent that had just settled onto my shoulders from every other male in the classroom.

"Right, thats it!" I snapped, surging to my feet and grabbing Erica by the hand, "We need to talk!"

I dragged her outside, only to pause as I realized that I hadn't grabbed Erica and had instead somehow managed to snag Yuri. I'm pretty sure there must have been some magic involved, although how I don't know. I sighed and let go of her wrist.

"Neat trick," I said to the nervous looking girl, "And you are…?"

"My name is Mariya Yuri," she said softly, "And...um, I need to talk to you."

I huffed.

"Well then, meet me outside the gates after school," I said, "Right now, its time for class."

I was proven right as the bell rang. Yuri nodded and walked away. As she did, I let my face shift into a scowl of annoyance. Throughout the entire conversation, I could see that Yuri was trembling in fear. I'd need to do something about that. Yuri didn't deserve to live in fear of attending school with a Campione.

"That'll be a fun conversation," I muttered as I returned to class.

 **And done. Well, that was a fun chapter. And to think, I planned for this to be the classroom scene and the conversation with Yuri. Guess my plan to introduce Sakura a little differently really threw off my plans...eh, it was fun to write.**

 **So, here we meet the 'secret' addition I have planned, none other than Sakura Matou! That should be fun in the future…**

 **Yeah, Kariya is in the same class as Godou and Sakura. That was mostly just because I wanted to make a jab at his observational skills. I doubt he'll have much of a role.**

 **And done. Don't forget to leave a review on your way out!**


	4. Chapter 4

Outsider Chronicles: Demon Magus

Its one thing to discover that reincarnation is an actual thing, but its quite another to find out that Gods are very much real as well. It certainly doesn't help that I ended up getting dragged head first into a fight between two of them, found myself with a ridiculously hot stalker and labeled as a Demon King. Add in a Grail War and you have the makings of a truly humongous headache.

 **And we are back! Nothing to say, other than enjoy!**

Chapter 4

Once school was over, I met Yuri by the gate as promised and we started heading towards home. The walk was uncomfortably silent, mainly because I had no idea what to say and Yuri was trembling and likely to scared to speak. Still, I had to be impressed by her courage because she did actually manage to pluck up the courage to speak.

"I'm really sorry about earlier," she said in a quiet voice, "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Its no big deal," I said, "I have to say that it was a fancy bit of footwork. I didn't even notice I'd grabbed you instead of Erica until we got outside."

Yuri seemed to ignore me as she stopped suddenly.

"You know whats going on already, don't you?" she asked.

"Huh?"

I twitched slightly as she suddenly bowed deeply to me.

"I am fully aware that the anger of a violent Demon King such as yourself will not be tamed simply by killing me," she exclaimed, "But I beg you to punish me and no one else!"

I was once again reluctantly impressed by the girls courage. It was blatantly obvious that she was scared out of her wits, but she still managed to put others first. I sighed.

"Yuri…" I started, but she cut me off.

"Please, I ask you once more!" she yelled.

I sighed again and reached out. Yuri flinched as she saw my fingers approaching, but let me tilt her head up anyway. She had her eyes squeezed shut anyway, so it was kinda redundant.

"Open your eyes," I said.

Yuri flinched, but did as she was told. I don't think she was expecting the warm smile I had on my face.

"I'm not sure why your so scared of me, but you don't need to worry," I said, "I'm not about to start slaughtering people just because they look at me funny."

Yuri looked surprised.

"But I…" she said, but was interrupted by a new voice.

"It seems you're bothering the King Yuri," said a rather normal looking man in a suit as he approached us.

"And you are?" I asked.

"My name is Amakasu," he said, "And I am with the Committee for the Compilation of True History. Its a pleasure to meet the Seventh Campione."

"Likewise I guess," I said, "So I take it that you're the one who actually wants to speak with me?"

"Thats right," said Amakasu, "But perhaps we should go to a more secure location where we won't be overheard."

I sighed and nodded.

"Alright," I said.

Amakasu nodded and led the way to a small shrine on the edge of town. It was much smaller than the main Ryudo Shrine, but infinitely more peaceful, although that may have been a result of the lack of homicidal witch living there.

"So, who exactly are you?" I asked as I lent against a wall and Yuri vanished inside to change.

"As I said, I work for the Committee for the Compilation of True History," said Amakasu, "We are the governmental body who regulates people connected to Magic in Japan."

"So basically you're the local Mages Association?" I asked.

"Exactly. Whenever a Mystical event like a God showing up happens, we are the ones who investigates and deals with the situation. Hime-miko like Yuri assist us."

I snorted.

"Bet your gonna be busy soon enough," I said.

"Well, with a Campione in town, I dare say we will," said Amakasu.

I gave him an odd look, but didn't press. Maybe the Mages Associations stayed out of Magus issues. I'd get more information later.

"I wish to apologize for this morning," he said, "We had Yuri pull that trick so we could more easily make contact with you. Please don't be angry with her."

"Oh don't worry, I'm far from angry," I said, holding up my hands, "It'd take a lot more than a simple sleight of hand to get under my skin.

"U-um, sorry for the wait," said Yuri as she emerged from the Shrine.

I turned and my jaw dropped. I knew what Yuri would look like of course, but that didn't mean I couldn't appreciate it. Damn she looked cute in her Shrine Maiden getup!

"I apologize for what happened earler," she said, bowing to me again.

I groaned and rubbed my forehead.

"Yuri, I've said it repeatedly," I said, "Its fine. I'm not angry and I'm certainly not going to do anything to you. Now stop looking so scared around me!"

"It would appear that the Seventh King is a good deal different than the one you're Acquainted with Yuri," said Amakasu.

"I assume that thats not Doni?" I said, trying to keep my eye from twitching at the mention of that idiot, "Cus if it was, the only thing she'd have to worry about is losing braincells to his idiocy."

"No, it is not," said Amakasu, but didn't offer any other details.

I decided not to push. I didn't want to bring up bad memories for Yuri after all.

"Look, I have no real interest in being treated as a King by everyone and their dog," I said, before smirking at Yuri, "Especially by a cute girl like you. Why don't you just treat me like a normal friend?"

Yuri blushed at the compliment, but shook her head resalutly.

"I couldn't do that!" she protested.

I sighed.

"Alright then, at least call me by my name," I said, "And stop looking so scared all the time!"

Yuri looked surprised.

"U-um, well I guess I could do that Kariya…" she said.

I grinned.

"See, that wasn't so hard."

Yuri promptly blushed bright red.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked, turning to Amakasu.

"Oh, I wanted to inform you about Erica Blandelli and her involvement with the Copper Black Cross," said the Magic Agent.

"Wait, let me guess," I said, "You think shes trying to seduce me to bring me under their control?"

Amakasu looked surprised that I'd caught on so quickly to his train of thought.

"Thats right," he said, "So, you have your own suspicions?"

I snorted.

"Not a chance," I said, "I've gotten to know her pretty since I killed Verethragna and I can safely say that there is no way in hell that she would ever lower herself to do something like that. Shes way too proud to take part in seduction missions. Besides…"

I grinned, this time a full on Demon King smile that made both Amakasu and Yuri take a step back.

"I have no intention of allowing anyone to control me," I said, "And that goes for you lot as well. I'm happy to help if you need it, but I won't work under you."

"O-oh, I can assure you that that wasn't our intention!" said Amakasu quickly.

"I know, but the warning had to be made," I said, reigning in my Aura and smiling a far more normal smile, "Anyway, I should be heading home."

"Of course, thank you for taking the time to speak with us," said Amakasu, bowing politely alongside Yuri.

"No problem," I said, "See you at school Yuri.

The Shrine Maiden blushed slightly as I headed in the direction of home.

* * *

I arrived home a short time later to find what appeared to be the aftermath of World War Three in my living room as Sakura stormed past me, completely ignoring me with tears in her eyes. I entered the living room to find Erica looking rather pleased with herself.

"Oh, welcome home Kariya," she said.

"Whats wrong with Sakura?" I asked in lieu of a greeting.

"Oh, we were just having a conversation about our relationship," said Erica as she sauntered over to me.

I sighed.

"Let me guess, you kicked her out, didn't you?"

Erica's silence was enough of an answer. I sighed again and dropped onto the sofa. While I didn't really like the fact that Erica was marking her territory so thoroughly, I didn't really hold it against her. She was a passionate person and, currently, still trying to get me to accept her, so she really didn't want any competition. I was well aware of Sakura's crush on me, but I hadn't done anything about it because I had no idea how Zouken or Shinji would react. I didn't want to make things worse for her. However, that didn't mean that I wasn't willing to give her a safe haven, which Erica had just inadvertently destroyed.

"Erica, do you know why I let Sakura come over whenever she wants?" I asked.

Erica fixed me with a flat look.

"Because shes a very beautiful girl whos willing to cook and clean for you?" she asked.

"That too, but its not the only reason," I said, "She...doesn't have the best home life. Her Grandfather is a twisted, cruel old man and her brother...well, I dare say you'll meet him eventually, but safe to say that he's a downright horrible example of a Human being."

"Would that be Shinji Matou?" asked Erica.

"Thats the guy."

Erica scowled and I got the distinct impression that the blue haired bastard had tried it on with her.

"Let me guess, he tried flirting with you, wouldn't take no for an answer and you had to hurt him?"

"How did you guess?"

"Because I unfortunately know him," I said with a scowl, "Anyway, I let Sakura come over so she can get away from them, at least for a little while. I know that you probably don't like the idea of having a rival so close, but can you at least try to tolerate her? If she loses this safe haven, I'm not sure she'll do."

Erica was silent for a moment as she scanned my face. I couldn't read her expression, but I could see indecision in her eyes. Eventually, she sighed.

"Alright, I'll talk to her tomorrow," she said, before smirking, "Besides, having someone else around to tease could be fun. Just remember…"

She leant forwards and put her mouth right next to my ear.

"I am the only one who can be your first, Kariya Ishida."

My eyes went wide as she gently took my earlobe between her teeth. Holy shit, she was stepping up her game! Erica pulled back and giggled at the look on my face, before sobering.

"Actually, that may have to wait a little," she said, "I know its sudden and a bit of a pain, but would you mind coming back to Italy with me for a short while? I have an important meeting I need to attend and there are some people who want to meet you."

I shrugged.

"I guess so," I said, "But it'll have to wait until the weekend."

Erica nodded.

"Thats fine," she said, "Now, come on. Lets get some food."

She held up a takeout menu and I snorted. Nice to see she already knew me well enough not to let me in the Kitchen. We spent the evening doing homework and getting to know one another a little better, just two teens spending time together with no indication of Magic, Gods or Servants. Too bad this peace wouldn't last forever.

* * *

Unknown Location, 3rd person POV

"I see, so thats it," muttered a figure covered in shadow as he stared down at his marked hand, "A war for the Holy Grail huh?"

"Thats correct Master," said the woman kneeling before him.

Like her apparent Master, her form was hidden, although in her case it was by black and purple robes rather than shadow.

"Hmm, a fight with six powerful opponents with the Grail as the prize?" said the shadowy figure, "Sounds like fun. When and where will this War take place?"

"Fuyuki City in Japan," said the woman immediately, "I'm not sure when it will officually start, but I believe that at least three of the slots have been filled, so it shouldnt be too much longer."

"Fuyuki huh?" muttered the shadowy man, "Interesting...I believe thats where my newest brother has made his home…"

A twisted grin appeared in the darkness.

"This is gonna be fun!"

* * *

Another unknown location

"So, you have no idea where the artifact is?" asked an aged man sat on a throne decorated with wolf statues that appeared to be growling.

"F-forgive me my Lord Voban," said the silver haired woman kneeling before him, "We only know that its somewhere in Rome, but we are doing all we can to…"

The old mans eyes flared green and a skeleton in battered armour appeared beside the woman, looming over her as its bony fingers moved towards her throat.

"I believe that it goes without saying that I do not tolerate failure Liliana Kranjcar," growled the Oldest King, "Be thankful that your new...pet has me interested enough that you still have use for me. However, if you do not find it, I may not be so merciful."

"T-thank you my lord!" stuttered the silver haired Knight as the Dead Servant vanished.

Voban waved her off and he immediately fled the room.

"Are you alright Master?" asked a concerned voice as a tall man clad in blue appeared out of thin air beside Liliana.

"I will be," said Liliana, "But we should go. The Duke will not wait forever."

The blue clad warrior scowled, but vanished again as Liliana pulled herself together and marched out of the Dukes castle to continue her mission.

 **And done. Oh dear, that can't be good. It seems that Kariya won't be the only Mage to enter this War. The question is, who is Casters new master...and can Fuyuki survive the inevitable three way bout between Kings?**

 **I admit, my original plan was to have Lancer be Vobans servant, but then I decided to use Liliana instead, if only to get her into the story sooner. Shes actually my favorite girl in Campione for some reason. Maybe because I like her shy nature and her reaction to finding out Erica had read her book.**

 **Kariya's started forging his bond with Yuri and Erica received a scolding for chasing of Sakura. From this point Erica will be a lot nicer to the poor girl and it won't be long before Kariya flips out at Zouken's treatment of her. That should be fun.**

 **Oh, before I forget, someone (mafia king) wanted me to list Kariya's stats. With that in mind, and huge thanks to him for helping out, heres a rough estimate:**

 **Str- B+ (EX when using the Bull)**

 **Magical power- A (5000 mp)**

 **End- C+**

 **Luck - EX (campione make their own luck)**

 **Agility- B+ (EX when using Bird of Pray)**

 **Authorities A (when taken as a whole)**

 **Don't take them too seriously though, especially since they'll probably change once he gains a few more Authorities.**

 **For now, its time for me to sign off. I've got to get up early tomorrow, but I wanted to get this done, if only to see your reaction to my changes. Until next time, don't forget to review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Outsider Chronicles: Demon Magus

Its one thing to discover that reincarnation is an actual thing, but its quite another to find out that Gods are very much real as well. It certainly doesn't help that I ended up getting dragged head first into a fight between two of them, found myself with a ridiculously hot stalker and labeled as a Demon King. Add in a Grail War and you have the makings of a truly humongous headache.

 **And we are back! Nothing to say, other than enjoy!**

Chapter 5

The next morning Erica and I headed out to school early so she could catch Sakura before class. As it turned out, we wouldn't have to worry about that as we ran into her on the way, accompanied by a very familiar redhead. Yeah, I knew Shirou. Kind of hard not to since we both ended up in the same hospital room after the fire and lived down the street from one another. We weren't friends as such, I actually found his unerring hero complex to be rather annoying, but we got on fine.

"Morning Kariya," said Shirou happily.

"Morning Shirou," I said, "Hey Sakura."

Sakura's response was to ignore me as she glared at Erica, before storming off down the street. The Knight twitched slightly and took a deep breath before following, hurrying to catch up.

"What was that all about?" asked Shirou.

"They had a little spat last night," I said.

"I see…" said the red-head, "But thats the new girl, right? How did they get into a fight so soon?"

"Fighting over territory," I said, but didn't elaborate.

* * *

We caught up with the girls at the school gates where we found the two girls chatting normally with no signs of glares or potential violence.

"So, I take it you two sorted out your differences?" I asked.

Sakura blushed slightly, but nodded.

"We did," said Erica, "I won't stop her from coming around. But I also won't lose."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Lose what?" I asked.

All I got was a coy smile as the blond sauntered up and wrapped her arms around mine, pulling my arm between her breasts.

"Oh, nothing," she practically purred.

Sakura looked rather annoyed about something and quickly grabbed my free hand.

"Come on Kariya, we'll be late for class," she said.

I didn't resist as the two girls dragged me towards the school, leaving a number of incredulous and blushing students behind.

* * *

Later, at lunch, Sakura, Erica and I somehow ended up eating on the roof together.

"Before I forget, I've booked our tickets for the weekend," said Erica.

"Tickets?" asked Sakura.

"Yeah, Erica needs to go to Italy for a meeting and I'm getting dragged along," I grumbled, "Oh, that reminds me."

I pulled a key out of my pocket and handed it to a surprised looking Sakura.

"I have no intention of letting you stay in that house without any escape," I said, "Thats a key to my place. If you want, you can spend as much time as you want there."

Sakura hesitantly took the key.

"T-thank you, b-but my Grandfather…"

I snorted.

"Let me worry about the old worm," I said, "If he tries anything, I'll happily turn him into fish food."

Sakura looked shocked.

"N-no, you can't!" she gasped, "You don't understand, my Grandfather...hes not someone you can fight…"

Erica snorted into her sandwich as I let out a bark of laughter.

"Sakura, I'm a Campione," I said, "No matter how old or powerful, no mere Magus would stand a chance against me."

Both girls choked on their food.

"KARIYA!" yelped Erica, "You can't just drop that on anyone!"

"How do you know about that?!" spluttered Sakura, "And…"

"Whats a Campione/Magus?" asked both girls at the same time.

I blinked. That...wasn't what I was expecting, especially that last question. I narrowed my eyes. Something wasn't right here.

"Sakura, have you ever heard of something called a Heretic God?" I asked.

Sakura's look of confusion was enough of an answer.

"Alright, now Erica, do you know about the Clock Tower?"

"No, whats that?" asked the Knight.

"Ah...this could be...rather hard to explain," I muttered as I ran a hand through my hair.

This was...impossible. Right? There is no way that anyone even remotely connected to the Magus world wouldn't have at least heard of Clock Tower, unless they were from a new family which the Blandelli most definitely weren't. The same went for Sakura and Heretic Gods and Campione. We were practically the boogeyman of the Magician's Associations after all. Now the only question is, how in the world do I explain this?

"Ok, so I think I know whats going on here, although I have no idea how its possible," I said slowly.

"What do you mean?" asked Erica.

"I mean that you two are from completely different Magical Societies that are somehow completely separate from one another," I said, "That should not be possible though. I could baim Sakura not knowing on Zouken's lack of proper education on the world at large, but a Grand Knight of the Copper Black Cross? Not a chance. You would HAVE to at least know something…"

"Kariya, what are you talking about?" asked Erica, "What do you mean two different societies?"

"Just that," I said, "The Matou family are a family of Magus and have been for centuries, although the vast majority of their power has been lost in recent years, resulting in their eldest son being born without the ability to use Magecraft."

"H-how in the world do you know all this?!" spluttered Sakura as she gaped at me.

"My Grandpa was rather well connected," I said.

That was an outright lie, but considering the amount of Occult stuff that was laying around the house I still hadn't gone through, there was a possibility there was some truth to it. Sakura looked at me like she thought I'd gone crazy.

"So, you know that and yet you're still willing to go up against my Grandfather?" she asked, "You're not a Magus, so you wouldn't stand a chance! I...I don't want to see you get hurt because of me."

She looked down, but not before I saw tears glinting in her eyes.

"I'm not worth it."

I sighed and knelt down in front of my purple haired friend, using my hand to tilt my head up so I could meet her eyes.

"Sakura, your more than worth it," I said, "And don't let that bastard of a brother of yours tell you otherwise."

I grinned.

"Besides, I defeated the God of Victory. How hard can an old man with delusions of grandeur be?"

Sakura blinked.

"What?"

"I am a Campione," I said, "A God Slayer. On my trip to Italy, I fought and killed the Persian God of War and Victory, Verethragna and usurped his Authorities. As I am now, no Human can hope to match me, other than my fellow Kings."

"Hes right," said Erica, "I saw him fight against another Campione to test his power. They completely destroyed an entire stretch of grassland in less than an hour. The Mortals actually thought an undetected volcano had erupted when they found out about the mess."

She gave me a disapproving look.

"Hey, that was you guys idea," I said.

Sakura giggled at the exchange and looked a little better.

"Ah, theres the smile," I said with a grin of my own.

Sakura blushed looked down shyly. My smile only widened at her reaction, before I sobered and tilted her head back up.

"Sakura, no matter what happens I will always be there for you," I said, "All you have to do is call out my name."

Sakura looked confused, but nodded.

"Alright," she said.

I smiled and clapped my hands.

"Now, thats enough being serious!" I said, "Lets eat!"

We did just that.

* * *

"Kariya, why did you give her the key to calling you with the Tempest?" asked Erica as we walked home after school.

Sakura had a club meeting, so she wasn't with us.

"Why not?" I asked, "Shes is my friend. Besides…"

My expression darkened.

"Call me paranoid, but I can't help but get the feeling that somethings going to happen soon that will force my hand."

"I see," said Erica, "But why don't you do something now? Its not like you don't have the strength."

"True, but there are a few things staying my hand," I said, "For one, I have no idea how Magecraft will interact with me. I don't know how different it is compared to your own Magic, so I'm not sure if I'll actually be immune to it. Besides, there are other ways to harm me and I'm sure an old Magus like Zouken has plenty of ways around it. I don't want to just rush in and get myself killed."

"That makes sense, I suppose," said Erica, "Still, I feel guilty about leaving Sakura in such a place if its as bad as you say."

"I know the feeling, believe me," I said, "But I don't want to draw too much attention, not with the Grail War so close."

"Grail War?" asked Erica, "You mentioned that earlier. What is it?"

I gave the Knight a brief overview of the War and what it entailed.

"So basically, a bunch of Magus summon pseudo Gods of Steel to fight it out for a wish granting cup?" asked Erica.

"That about sums it up," I said, "Hmm, I wonder what would happen if I was to fight one…"

Erica gave me a flat look.

"Don't worry, unless something forces my hand, I have no interest in taking part," I said.

Erica fixed me with a skeptical look, but didn't push.

* * *

Later, I was rooting through my Grandpa's old study, trying to see if he had actually known anything about Magus or even the Mages Associations or if he was an unknown accomplice. So far, all I'd found was a bunch of old papers he'd published in his time as a professor of Mythology, more books of legends and fairy tales than you could shake a stick at and a few photo albums. I hadn't actually been through much of Grandpa's study yet, mainly because, despite everything that had happened, he'd only passed away a relatively short time ago. I had mostly dealt with the grief, but I hadn't been able to face the old room. I think that becoming a Campione had affected me more than I thought though as right now, all I was feeling was frustration at the old mans lack of proper filing system.

I sighed and picked up another stack of papers and books, only for a photograph to slip out the bottom as I did. More out of an interest of moving it to the others to be sorted later than anything, I picked up the photo and glanced at it, only to freeze when I saw what it was of. It was a photograph of Mum in a hospital bed, looking rather tired with her black hair in a loose bun and smiling down at the blue wrapped bundle in her arms that held yours truly. However, what really caught my attention was the man stood next to her.

See, the man I grew up calling Dad wasn't actually my real Father. Mum had married him when I was about two and the only reason I knew the truth was that I was conscious at that time. I had no idea who my birth father was however since, as mentioned, I wasn't even supposed to know that my Dad wasn't my real Dad and, while I had been conscious for my birth, those memories had quickly faded into complete obscurity (thank god!). However, that didn't stop me from recognizing the man stood beside Mum with an expression somewhere between joy and dread on his face. Like me, he had messy, black hair and it looked like I shared a few of his features, although mine were softened by Mum's side.

"This...could be really bad," I muttered.

While I had no way to confirm it, the fact that he was there and I shared more than a few of his features indicated that my real Father could very well be Kariya Matou, the deceased Master of Berserker in the Fourth War and Sakura's adopted and beloved Uncle. Well, this would make things rather complicated…

 **And done. So, isn't that a turn up for the books? Our newest Campione may actually be a Matou, albeit one with no real training...and a buttload of power!**

 **I actually planned on having this reveal later, but the latter half of this chapter practically wrote itself. Eh, I'll roll with it. Besides, its not confirmed...yet.**

 **And another big reveal, the two worlds I'm using have no idea that the other exists! How that is possible will be touched on in the future. In terms of strength, the individual members of the two sides are about even, but overall, the Campione side blows the Magus out of the water. Between having the Campione, whatever Divine Ancestors are currently running around and using the Power of the Gods, its practically a foregone conclusion. Of course, thats just the Mage Associations compared to one another. Naturally, the likes of Zelretch and Arcueid could easily squash anyone short of a Campione, as could the Dead Apostles and various Types. However, thats all pretty irrelevant in terms of this story.**

 **Speaking of Zelretch, he'll be showing up at some point to make trouble...probably.**

 **I know people probably wanted to see Erica and Sakura's heart to heart, but I couldn't think of a single way to do it that wouldn't come across as forced. So, they did it off screen and I'll let you imagine how it went. If someone really wants to, they can write a version and I'll put it in an Omake or something.**

 **I probably shouldn't say this, but next time will take us to Italy and have Kariya gain the Gorgonian. Possibly. Depending on what happens. My muse has a tendency of getting of topic and taking the story in entirely new directions.**

 **Anyway, I've got to go so I'm not a zombie tomorrow. Make sure you leave a review on the way out!**


	6. Chapter 6

Outsider Chronicles: Demon Magus

Its one thing to discover that reincarnation is an actual thing, but its quite another to find out that Gods are very much real as well. It certainly doesn't help that I ended up getting dragged head first into a fight between two of them, found myself with a ridiculously hot stalker and labeled as a Demon King. Add in a Grail War and you have the makings of a truly humongous headache.

 **And we are back! Nothing to say, other than enjoy!**

Chapter 6

"So, how much longer are we going to have to wait?" I asked Arianna from where I was laying back on the ground, enjoying the warmth of the Italian sun on my face.

"I'm not sure," said the Maid, "It seems that Erica's meeting is running late."

"I can see that," I grumbled.

Arianna chuckled nervously.

"Um, I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave you for now," she said, "I have some errands I have to run. Do you mind waiting on your own?"

"Nah, you go ahead," I said, waving her off.

"Alright, bye!" said the cheery maid as she jogged away.

I took a deep breath and slowly let it out as the quiet of the ruins settled over me. It was almost a shame that Athena would be along shortly to ruin it. Speaking of which…

I opened one eye as the area was suddenly saturated in power and I felt a presence appear next to me. Stood beside me, looking down with eyes as flat as a mirror, was a young looking girl with short, silver hair with a very slight lavender tint, violet eyes with square pupils. She was wearing a school uniform and a blue hat with a zipper pattern on the front. I narrowed my eyes slightly. That...didn't look right. There was something different about her appearance, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out what it was.

"Are you the Godslayer?" asked Athena.

"Thats me," I said as I sat up, "And I take it that you're a God?"

Athena's eyes narrowed slightly.

"What will you do?" she asked.

"That depends on you," I said, "I'm sure that many of my siblings would jump at the chance to fight you, but I'd rather not."

Athena was silent for a moment as she studied my expression.

"Lethargy," she said, "I also do not wish to fight right now. I seek my Serpent, so for now we shall part without crossing blades. However…"

She vanished and reappeared on top of a nearby column.

"The next time we meet, we shall fight!" she said, "I am intrigued to battle the one known as the Outsider."

"If thats what you want, I'd be happy to oblige," I said.

Athena turned on her heel and vanished, allowing the power that had been saturating the area to vanish. I let out a sigh of relief and flopped back down onto the grass, releasing my hold on my Authority as I did. That had been entirely more nerve wracking than I had been expecting. I was confident that I wouldn't have to fight Athena until the Starless Night, but who knows what changes this crossover world could have made to her personality and goals. To make matters worse, I had no idea if the Sword Godou used against her would actually work in her child form since it had been forged for use against her at full power. Besides, I'd sort of forgotten the specifics of the Words of Power that had been used against her. What? It had been years since I had last seen Campione! So sue me!

"Whats wrong?"

"MEEP!"

The sudden voice nearly made me jump out of my skin, but it was just Erica. Apparently I had been more distracted than I thought. Erica looked amused at my outburst and I quickly cleared my throat to get away from it.

"N-nothing," I said, "So, you done?"

Erica nodded.

"Yes, and there are some people who want to meet you," she said, indicating to the three men who were accompanying her.

"So you're the Seventh Campione," said the tallest, a man with long hair in an expensive looking suit.

"Kariya Ishida, correct?" asked the second, a short man with a mask wearing a hooded cloak that must have been boiling in this heat.

"It is our great pleasure to meet you," said the third, a larger bald man wearing a red jumper, slacks and a monocle.

"And these are…?" I asked.

"People from the Magicians society who represent Italy," said Erica, "They insisted on meeting you."

"Hnn."

Erica smiled and raised a hand as a red magic circle appeared.

"They want to see how strong you are," she said with a smirk, "Lion of Steel... and he who begets you, the Lionheart. Heed the oath made by knight Erica Blandelli! That which is the essence of the battle, reveal yourself in my hands! Cuore di Leone!"

She pulled her sword out of the lions mouth that appeared in the center of the circle.

"It appears its time for a duel," she said with a smirk, before lunging forwards and taking a swipe at me.

I quickly backstepped, evading the strike with inches to spare.

"Hey, don't I get a sword?" I asked.

"A Campione should have no need of weapons," lectured the Knight, "Now come at me!"

"Most Campione have abilities that don't have a limit on how many times they can be used per day," I grumbled as I dodged around Erica's sword swings.

As I did, the world seemed to slow down, allowing me to predict and evade the attacks, a perk of the Campione battlefield reflexes. After a short time, Erica overextended slightly as I dodged a thrust and I instantly capitalized, grabbing her wrist and tossing her across the battlefield.

"Not bad," said the blond as she landed lightly and brought up her sword, "Just what I'd expect from you. Now, lets crank things up a notch."

"Cuore di Leone, I entrust the battlefield to you!" she called and threw her sword straight up where it seemed to stick in mid air, "Lion of Steel, rip him apart, bore through him, crush him in your jaws!"

A silver metal lion emerged from the circle and leaped at me. I narrowed my eyes, planted my feet and held up my arms. An instant later, a surge of energy suffused my body, strengthening it well beyond Human limits, just in time to catch the Lion by its fangs, stopping it cold. I gritted my teeth as my feet dug into the dirt slightly before all of its momentum was arrested. Once it was, I smirked and drew back my arm.

"See ya pussy cat," I said, "O' mighty bull that possesseth the horns of shining gold, grant me your aid!"

And with that, I punched the beast in the face. The entire thing was made of magically created steel that was almost impervious to damage. Hell, even some gods would have a hard time damaging it, so its telling of the strength granted by the Bull that it crumpled like a car bumper and went flying across the field. See, while functionally identical to Godou's powers, my Authorities did have a few slight differences. For example, while the Bull was primarily a reactive power, once it had activated I could use the Spell Words to give myself a momentary boost to the strength, multiplying it by a factor equivalent to the number of Authorities I had left among the 10 Avatars. In other words, that punch was the equivalent of 10 times the strength needed to stop the Lion in its tracks.

However, the Lion was down but not out as it erupted from the dust cloud, now changed from Iron to magical Light. I narrowed my eyes as I felt my strength fade and the Bird of Prey activating, seemingly slowing the world down to a crawl, allowing me to dodge the Lion of Light with relative ease.

"You won't win if you just run away!" called Erica.

"I am aware of that!" I shouted back, "OOF!"

The momentary distraction allowed the Lion to slip past my guard and knock my off my feet. I flipped back to my feet, ignoring the twinge in my chest that came from using the Bird of Prey, as Erica jumped down and reformed her sword.

"Kariya, Gods will not be so kind as to let you get away with what I have here," she said as she brought up her sword and focused her Mana, "Eli, Eli, Lema Sabachthani! Lord, for it is afternoon, and I call out to you, yet you do not answer. For at night, There is also only Silence!"

A wave of energy erupted from the sword, causing the world to darken in response.

"That which becomes my strength, save me, save my soul from the sword!" inotoned Erica as a frankly obscene amount of power poured of her, forming into a tornado of red light around her sword.

I just smirked.

"Hey Erica, I thought Knights were supposed to be able to pay attention to their surroundings!" I shouted over the wind as raw energy began to leak off me.

"Huh?"

"Look behind you!"

Erica did so and her eyes widened as she saw the massive arena that took up the skyline, making the perfect target for my next attack.

"I strongly suggest you dodge this," I said as I raised my arms and a massive pig appeared above me, "I'd hate to see you get crushed!"

With that, I unleashed the Divine Beast, which rampaged across the grounds, missing Erica by inches as she leaped into the air, and quickly reduced the arena to rubble. Erica landed, only to immediately be tackled off her feet as I shot out of the dust, carried by the lingering energy of the Boar. My fist snapped down, stopping inches from her nose as she stared up at me wide eyed. For a moment we remained still, both breathing heavily and flushed from exertion

"Will that do?" I asked.

Erica blinked, then smiled.

"I'd say so," she said, "Very impressive Kariya. But…"

She hooked her foot under my ankle and, in a single movement, flipped us over so she was on top. My flush of exertion quickly changed to a blush and I'm pretty sure hers did as well. For a brief moment, the world faded away as I focused on her eyes, before the sound of applause broke the spell. Erica let out a sigh of annoyance, but sat up and let me sit up as well, although she didn't move from my lap. Without thinking, my arm snaked around her waist and rested on her hip.

"It seems that they've accepted you," she said with a slight smile, "Thats good."

"Thats debatable," I said.

"Now that we're done with the tests, I have something for you," said Erica, holding out her hand.

There was a flash of light and the Gorgonian appeared in her palm. I raised an eyebrow as I studied the inoculus looking medal. It certainly didn't look like much, just a tarnished bronze circle carved with the likeness of Medusa, but I could feel the power it contained, even without touching it. When Erica handed it to me, it was practically vibrating with power and it made me wonder just how it had taken so long for Athena to find it…

"OW!"

A sudden pain in the back of my hand made me wince. I turned my hand over, but there was nothing there.

"Is something wrong?" asked Erica.

"No, its nothing," I said, "Anyway, we should be headed home."

Erica nodded with a smile.

"Alright, lets go," she said, taking my hand as we headed back towards the city.

* * *

Hours later, after a long flight on a private jet, I was laying back on the leather couch in my Grandfathers study, examining the Gorgonian. It really was hard to believe that the fate of the world lay on this tiny thing. I let out a sigh and let my arm fall so it was dangling off the side of the sofa.

"Damn, this is gonna be a right pain in the rear," I muttered, "Fighting Athena while the Grail Wars going on? Yeah, that'll go well. Knowing my luck, someones gonna think I'm a Servant or something…"

I sighed again and stared up at the ceiling.

"I wonder if Sakura's summoned Rider yet…"

I snorted. Oh yeah, that'll end well. Athena and an incarnation of Medusa in the same city. Sounds like an excellent idea…

"OW!"

I jumped as a stabbing pain suddenly hit the back of my hand, causing my fingers to open and allow the Gorgonian to fall to the floor, where it rolled over to where a number of piles of books and papers hid the floor. I winced and checked my hand, only to find that it was bleeding slightly.

"What the hell is going on?" I muttered as I got to my feet, "Did Athena curse me somehow?"

I walked over to pick up the medal, but as I neared it, a drop of blood fell on a faded line that had been painted on the floor. Instantly, I was forced back by a sudden pulse of force and a brilliant, blue glow that was emerging from the circle that had been painted on the floor and hidden under the books and paper. I winced as my hand flared again, this time red, as a symbol carved itself into my hand.

"Oh you have got to be…" I started, before I was cut off as the circle pulsed and a figure began to appear from it.

She was tall, with long, purple hair that nearly reached the floor and was wearing a black and purple dress with an incredibly short skirt, long, black boots and matching gloves and a purple blindfold. I felt something latch onto my power as the circle and the Command Seals carved into the back of my hand pulsed one last time and the glow faded. Rider tilted her head up and seemed to look at me, before falling to one knee.

"I, the Servant Rider, have come in response to your Summons," she said, "I ask, are you my Master?"

I finally regained the presence of mind to just my mouth with a click, scowled and swore loudly, just as the door slammed open and a frantic looking Erica burst in, sword in hand.

 **And done. And there we have it, Kariya is now officially the Master of Rider in the War, using the Gorgonian as a Catalyst no less! What does this mean? Well, we'll be finding out soon enough, along with how I plan to have the Heretic Gods and Servants work. SO STOP ASKING DAMN IT!**

 **Then again, some of you might actually be able to figure it out considering the slight alterations I've made to Athena's looks. Hmm, lets see. Speaking of which, I'm sure I'll get comments about this so I'll say it here. The reason he didn't notice the changes to Athena is because, to him, they are subtle enough that its not blindingly** **obvious. Plus, as he mentioned, it has been a very long time since he watched Campione.**

 **So, not all of Kariya's powers are identical to Godou's. And he'll be gaining some new Authorities pretty soon, so that'll be interesting. If you're not bothered about spoilers, check out his entry on my profile and let me know what you think.**

 **And done. Don't forget to leave a review on your way out! Until next time, this is Dis Lexic, signing off.**


	7. Chapter 7

Outsider Chronicles: Demon Magus

Its one thing to discover that reincarnation is an actual thing, but its quite another to find out that Gods are very much real as well. It certainly doesn't help that I ended up getting dragged head first into a fight between two of them, found myself with a ridiculously hot stalker and labeled as a Demon King. Add in a Grail War and you have the makings of a truly humongous headache.

 **And we are back! Nothing to say, other than enjoy!**

Chapter 7

It had been half an hour since I had Summoned Rider and I was currently pacing up and down in my living room, trying desperately to figure out how in the hell it had even happened and what I was going to do. My Campione side was practically drooling at the idea of fighting so many powerful opponents, but the rest of me was somewhere between annoyed and panaking. I had been hoping to avoid the headache, but now that Rider was here, that idea was right out the window.

"So, what are you planning to do?" asked Erica, who was sitting in an armchair across from an awkward looking Rider.

I had managed to explain everything to the Knight after she had come bursting in and nearly attacked the unfamiliar woman who had arrived in such a massive blaze of magic. Fortunately, I had been quick enough to stop her before Rider turned her inside out. Skilled and powerful she may be, but I strongly suspect that Erica would falter going up against a Servant without knowing everything about them.

"I have no idea," I said, "I kinda don't have a choice at this point since one way or another, the other Masters will be gunning for Rider."

I glanced at the Servant, who was sitting on the couch looking rather befuddled about something.

"Is something wrong Rider?" I asked.

The Heroic Spirit jumped and looked up.

"Oh, no, its nothing," she said, "I just feel...strange. As if something I have been missing is close."

I narrowed my eyes as a suspicion started taking root in my mind.

"Is that so?" I muttered, "Interesting…"

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the Gorgoneion.

"Do you recognize this?" I asked.

Medusa glanced at the metal medal and nodded.

"Yes, it was mine back when my sisters and I lived on the Shapeless Isle," she said, "Its what you used as the Catalyst, correct?"

I frowned.

"Yes, but what I don't understand is how you could have come to possess this," I said.

Medusa shrugged.

"I don't know myself," she said, "I simply always had it, ever since my birth."

"Really?" I muttered, "Thats interesting…"

Erica glanced between the two of us.

"Have you figured something out Kariya?" she asked.

I nodded and opened my mouth to respond, but before I could I felt a massive pulse of power and a faint voice echoed in my ear, calling out my name. My eyes widened and I surged to my feet.

"Whats wrong Master?" asked Rider, sensing my distress.

"Sakura's in trouble," I said, staring off into space, "She just called out to me. So much pain...I have to go!"

"Oh no you don't Mister!" said Erica, grabbing onto my hand, "If your going, I'm coming to."

I glanced down at her and raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you didn't like her?" I said.

Erica blushed.

"I didn't at first, but...shes grown on me," she said, "I don't want to see her get hurt."

I smiled and nodded.

"Alright then, I can take people with me," I said, "Rider, grab hold."

Medusa nodded and grabbed my hand, just in time for me to activate my Authority and vanish in a gust of wind.

* * *

Third Person POV, Matou compound basement

Sakura genuinely thought she was going to die. She was used to pain, her Grandfather and brother saw to that, but tonight it went far beyond mere 'training'. It was clear that Zouken was enraged about something, although what it was she had no idea. All she knew is that the old man had returned from an errand in a towering rage, grabbed her by the hair without warning and dragged her into the basement where he proceeded to use his worms to inflict enough pain that she was barely coherent anymore, all the while yelling about how she was useless, a disappointment and a disgrace to the name of Matou, all while inflicting pain beyond imagining on her body and soul.

Now, normally she would have just taken the pain and moved on, using the thought of Kariya as a guiding light, but a combination of the sheer agony that was quickly turning her mind to mush and the revelations the black haired Campione had revealed at school the other day meant that her mental defences were somewhat weakened. Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore and, just like Kariya had told her to do, she called out to him with all her heart. Well, as well as she could among the screaming and with her throat torn to shreds.

* * *

Zouken Matou could not remember the last time he had felt this much fury. Everything had been going so well. The fragments of the Grail implanted into Sakura had been maturing nicely thanks to her attraction to the Ishida brat and everything seemed perfect for him to make his attempt for the Grail. All he needed was for the girl to successfully summon a Servant and win the war. However, it didn't happen. Even after all this time when almost all the slots were filled, the Command Seals still did not appear on the girl. Eventually, the old worm was forced to approach the Overseer to find out what in the world was going on, only to discover that, somehow, the Matou slot was taken by an unknown individual! That should be impossible! The only ones who possessed the blood necessary for that were under this roof and the only one capable of being a Master was Sakura. The only explanation was that, despite all the training he had put her through, she was still too weak!

The old man took a deep breath as he wrenched his thoughts back to the present, smiling thinly as Sakura let out a particularly delightful scream. He knew she wouldn't be able to take much more without losing her mind, but he would enjoy these last few minutes of suffering like a fine wine before passing her over to Shinji. The brat might be useless, but he was handy for providing an extra level of punishment for the girl.

The old man raised a hand and clenched his fist, causing the worms in Sakura's body to intensify their attack on their host, drawing another scream from the girl. However, this one seemed to carry a word, although it was nearly incomprehensible. However, Zouken heard it and raised an eyebrow. Why would she be calling out to her deceased Uncle? Had he misjudged the girls strength? His lip curled up in a sneer. It wouldn't surprise him considering…

His thoughts were cut off as a massive gust of wind suddenly erupted, filling the small chamber with blinding dust and a frankly huge amount of Magical Power that forced the two male Matou's to cover their faces or be blinded.

"Well, this is certainly interesting," said a voice from the dust cloud, "I knew you were twisted old man, but I never thought you would go this far."

"Whos there?!" growled Zouken.

In response, the dust was swept aside to reveal a small group led by a boy about Sakura's age, accompanied by two women who had taken Sakura down from the board she was strapped to.

"Kariya, shes badly hurt," said one of them, a blonde foreign girl, "Something seems to be eating her from the inside out and causing damage to her body."

"Can you heal her?" asked the boy.

"Not here," said the blonde.

"In that case, take her back home," said Kariya, "I'll join you as soon as I'm done here."

Zouken shook off his shock at the sudden arrival of the newcomers and scowled.

"I don't know who you think you are, but you will not be leaving this place," he said, "You have trespassed on my land and I am intrigued by this power of yours. You will make an excellent research subject. Also…"

His eyes shifted to the older, purple haired woman who was lifting Sakura into her arms.

"You are a Master and I am in need of a Servant. Apparently this day won't end as badly as I thought."

Kariya raised an eyebrow.

"You don't honestly think I'd have come here without planning an escape route, did you?" he asked, "Besides, even if I didn't, I highly doubt you could hurt me."

Zouken scowled again.

"You arrogant brat!" he snarled, swinging his arm and firing a bolt of Mana at Kariya.

Kariya just scoffed and backhanded the bolt, sending it flying straight up, blasting a hole in the ceiling, revealing the full moon and the starry night's sky above.

"Heh, and that would be our way out," said Kariya with a smirk, "Ladies?"

"Yes my Lord," said both women and shot up out the hole in a flash of red light.

"NO!" roared Zouken, surging forwards, "YOU WILL NOT TAKE WHATS MINE!"

Kariya twitched and turned from the hole to glare at Zouken. Instantly, the old man froze, a flicker of fear appearing in his breast for the first time in well over two hundred years.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" said Kariya in a low voice as a faint, golden aura began to leak off him and his hair began to shift in an unfelt breeze, "I could have sworn you just said that Sakura was your property? Like she was some doll?"

Zouken swallowed and took a step back without meaning to. That aura...he had definitely seen that before. Two centuries prior during a trip to China for research into new Magecraft, he had encountered a woman who had used strange powers and looked at him like that when he had attempted to take those powers for himself. It was a look that said that he was so far below them that he didn't even register as a threat. Hell, if this Kariya boy was anything like the woman, he probably didn't. The ONLY reason he had survived that encounter was because of his Worms and even then he had lost nearly three quarters of his body. To make matters worse, for some reason his instincts were screaming at him that this boy was much, MUCH more dangerous than that woman ever could be.

However, despite the oppressive aura, Zouken couldn't help but feel that the boy seemed familiar. His hair, the shape of his face, the way he held himself, even the tone of his voice, they all seemed familiar to the old man.

"Who are you boy?" he demanded.

Kariya narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I am Kariya Ishida, the Seventh Campione," he said.

Zouken's eyes widened and a sense of surprised glee began to well up in his chest, washing away the fear he felt towards the young man. Now he knew why the boy looked so familiar! He had no idea what the last bit meant, but Ishida was the name of a girl his idiot 'son' had had a one nights stand with after she got married. The old worm had made sure to keep an eye on all of the boys relationships, just in case a child ever came from any of the unions. However, it seemed that this one had somehow slipped under his gaze. How that was possible considering his power Zouken had no idea but this truly was an excellent find. The power Kariya had at his fingertips was frankly massive and he was a Master at that! Perhaps tonight wouldn't be so bad after all. All he had to do now was implant some worms and the boy would be his.

"I see," said the old man with a dark grin, "So thats why you seem so familiar! You really are my Grandson, aren't you? A Matou by blood with more power than I have ever seen in a Human! Yes, you will make a great addition to my house."

Kariya raised an eyebrow.

"And what makes you think I would ever bow to you?" he asked.

"What makes you think you'll have a choice?" sneered Zouken, "You may have taken her from here, but my worms are still within Sakura. I could easily kill her in an instant if you don't…"

He was cut off as the oppressive aura suddenly cranked up to eleven and the ground under Kariya began to crack under the sheer pressure of power he was putting out.

"You...you have a lot of nerve old man!" snarled the teen, "Not only have you hurt Sakura, but you have the nerve to believe that vermin like you can even dream of commanding a King!"

He held up a hand to the sky and even more power began to pour off him.

"Let me show you the distance between us, worm," hissed the Campione, **"** Come to me, for the victory!"

In response, Zouken was forced to cover his eyes as a brilliant glow lit up the night. Once his eyes had adjusted, he looked and his jaw dropped in utter disbelief as he beheld what looked like the noonday sun sitting in a sky that had previously held the moon.

"Immortal Sun, lend me a quick, shining steed!" continued Kariya, "Fire of the Sun that dispels the dark, may it engulf you!"

He brought down his arm and pointed at Zouken. The sun flashed and surged forwards, the white and gold flames quickly forming into the shape of a massive horse.

"Disappear," snarled Kariya an instant before the horse hit and Zoukens world was consumed in pure fire and agony as his very essence was burnt away.

* * *

Outside the compound, a smug looking Shinji Matou was returning home from a date with one of his many girlfriends. The bitch hadn't put out, despite his best efforts, but that didn't matter. Once he got home, he'd be able to satisfy himself with Sakura, so long as his Grandfather had finished. He could hardly wait!

However, any ideas of some 'fun' with his sister were put on permanent hold as a brilliant, golden light suddenly appeared in the sky and shot down like a rocket to slam into his house, completely consuming it in a massive blast of fire that could probably be seen from the other side of the city. The shock wave from the blast blew the gates off their hinges and knocked him off his feet. However, Shinji barely noticed the pain as he stared in shock and horror at the burning ruins that were once his home. He was so stupefied, he didn't even notice the figure leaving the ruins and stalking off down the street, golden light still leaking off him.

* * *

Back to Kariya's POV

Well, that had been interesting. I never imagined that Zouken could set me off so well, although I probably should have seen it coming. Still, the sheer amount of rage that had flowed through me when he had attempted to threaten Sakura's life to make me obey had me rather taken aback. I'm not sure whether it was my instincts as a Campione or something else, but the very idea of someone controlling me in any way enraged me even more so than the fact he was threatening the life of my oldest and closest friend.

I sighed and shook myself out of my thoughts. I wasn't done yet tonight, I still had one last thing to deal with. With that in mind, I hurried home.

* * *

When I opened my front door, I was greeted by screams of agony and the sound of someone struggling against restraints. I quickly moved to the living room where I found Rider and Erica struggling to hold down a screaming Sakura as her skin boiled and writhed grotesquely, no doubt thanks to the worms making her body home.

"Kariya, we have to do something!" shouted Erica when she saw me, "At this rate, whatever's causing this will kill her! I'm not skilled enough at healing magic to do anything to help!"

I hurried over to the ladies, pushing aside Erica and Rider and taking there place, my Campione strength more than enough to prevent the girl from moving around too much.

"Sakura, can you hear me?" I asked.

Sakura opened one eye and looked up at me. Her eyes were clouded in pain, but I could see recognition there.

"K-kariya," she gasped between gritted teeth, "P-please…"

"Sakura, I think I have something that can help you," I said, "But I need you to do something for me, do you understand?"

Sakura nodded jerkily. I took a deep breath and focused, calling on the power that lay within my Soul.

"Hurry up and swear!" I said, "Stay by my side no matter what... Even if life is coming to an end, even if the world itself is coming to an end, even if it means battling all the gods, stay by my side forever!"

Sakura couldn't speak through the pain, but she nodded again none the less. Apparently, that was enough as I felt the Youth Authority activate.

"Sorry about this," I said, before I dipped my head and kissed Sakura full on the lips.

 **And done. Well, that was certainly...interesting to write. I hope it was as good to read, even if it is a tad darker than the rest of the story. Then again, what did you expect when dealing with saving Sakura?**

 **So, Rider apparently owned the Gorgoneion. What does that mean? Just what is her connection to Athena? This could be interesting, no?**

 **I'm not 100% sure I got Zoukens characterization right, but frankly, I don't care. Hes now so much ash on the wind thanks to the White Horse.**

 **Also, Zouken apparently had a run in with Luo Hao at some point in the past...I bet that went well. I originally planned to use Voban instead, but I figured that the Balkans would be a tad to far for the old man to travel and Voban isn't quite old enough to have been operating while the Matou's were in Russia.**

 **Let that be a lesson folks, never attempt to control a Campione! I think that goes without saying, but it still needs to be said. Still, at least we got confirmation that Kariya is technically a Matou, even if he has none of their Magecraft and is now rather unlikely to learn any since its all so much ash on the wind.**

 **Shinji's a git. I think that goes without saying. He'll get his, don't worry. Probably at the hands of Athena.**

 **Well, it looks like Sakura now has the POWER OF YOUTH flowing through her. Hopefully that doesn't come with green spandex, eyebrows and a sunset illusion. Shes suffered enough, poor girl.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	8. Chapter 8

Outsider Chronicles: Demon Magus

Its one thing to discover that reincarnation is an actual thing, but its quite another to find out that Gods are very much real as well. It certainly doesn't help that I ended up getting dragged head first into a fight between two of them, found myself with a ridiculously hot stalker and labeled as a Demon King. Add in a Grail War and you have the makings of a truly humongous headache.

 **And we are back! Nothing to say, other than enjoy!**

Chapter 8

Considering the amount of power that an Authority like the White Horse, not to mention how flashy it was, it was really no wonder that the many people in the city with the power to detect magic detected it. For some, it came with a feeling of fear, for others confusion and for two, a dark and reluctantly proud grin at the amount of power their youngest 'brother' had.

* * *

In the small shrine on the outskirts of the city, Mariya Yuri felt the surge of power and saw the light from the attack. Considering what she knew about the young Campione, she wasn't sure if she should be exasperated at how reckless he had been...or terrified that someone had set him off to such a degree. When nothing else happened for an hour, she resolved to ask him about it at school and mostly put it out of her mind. She did however make a mental note to send Amakasu a fruit basket to thank him for all the hard work he and the rest of the Committee would have to do to cover the whole thing up. Someone had to and she highly doubted Kariya would think to.

* * *

At the Einzbern castle, Illyasviel also felt Kariya's little outburst and, for some strange reason, felt a rush of fear that she couldn't explain. However, she wasn't the only one in the house to react to the power. In the courtyard, Berserker twitched slightly and looked up. For a brief moment, the madness that filled his mind cleared, allowing a single, coherent thought to break through.

" **Θεία φονιάδα…"**

An instant later, the madness consumed it again, but the spark was still there. All it would take is a slight prodding to ignite it into a powerful blaze.

* * *

In the Church, a pair of red eyes snapped open as their owner sat bolt upright as the wave of power washed over him. The King of Heroes stared up at the ceiling, a twisted snarl distorting his face into a ghastly grimace.

"Pandora," he snarled, "So, that Witch still has hold on this world?"

His face twisted from a scowl into a grin that, unknown to the Golden King, matched those worn by the two other Kings in the city.

"Well, this War is going to be very interesting," he said, "Let us see if the newest of Kings can truly match up to me...Hehehe, I can't wait!"

His laughter echoed through the catacombs, making it seem like an entire army was laughing along with him.

* * *

Rin Tohsaka was scared. She and Archer had been on patrol, getting the lay of the land and keeping an eye out for any other Masters so they could potentially get some info no rather than later, when the night had been lit up by the massive blast of light and she had nearly been flattened by the insane amount of Magical power that had accompanied it. She had never felt anything like it in her life! The closest had been when her Father had summoned his Servant during the last War, but even that paled in comparison. To make matters even worse, the source of the magic and the place it hit was the Matou compound, meaning that Sakura could have been caught up in whatever had caused it. She knew it was none of her business, but the idea of her sister being harmed made her heart clench.

She hesitated for a moment. Could she do it? Could she face going there to find out what happened? What would she do if Sakura had been hurt? Could she face such a reality? Maybe not, but still…

"Archer, lets go!" she said, "We should find out what caused that blast."

"Is that wise?" asked the red clad Servant, "It could be a foe to strong for us."

"Thats a risk we'll have to take," said Rin, "I don't want to get blindsided by whatever made that later."

Archer fixed her with a level look for a moment, before nodding.

"Very well Master," he said, "Hold on tight."

He scooped her up and they took off across the rooftops.

* * *

Speaking of Archer, the Counter Guardian was currently feeling a rather large amount of confusion. Considering how many times he'd done this in an attempt to prevent his past selves from making the same mistakes, he was fairly confident in his ability to predict what path the timeline would follow. Sure there were occasionally ones that threw him for a loop, but never had he seen anything like that. The sheer power behind the attack was nearly on the level of Saber's Excalibur, if not even more powerful! Plus, the Mana behind it didn't feel like any Servant or Magus he had ever encountered. In fact, it felt more akin to a girl he had met during one of his forays into the Human World to prevent the Human Race from destroying itself. She had been a lot like his old self, naive and obsessed with helping others. Unlike his old self however, she somehow managed to make things worse by raising an army to fight some unknown enemy...only to get the lot of them killed in the process. Yeah, he had never been able to figure out how she'd managed that.

Either way, whatever the source of this strange energy was, Archer knew that it was something he had never truly encountered before and it was VERY strong. Still, despite that, he couldn't help but feel a little spark of hope. Maybe whatever this was could convince his old self to abandon his path...he doubted it though.

* * *

It didn't take the Master and Servant to arrive at the burning remains of the Matou house, which was already swarming with emergency services. At the sight of the destroyed house, Rin's stomach dropped. Anyone caught in whatever caused that would be dead, no doubt about it. Just about the only thing still standing was a small portion of the house on the far side which looked like the remains of a bedroom. The rest of the house had been so thoroughly destroyed, parts of the ground floor had collapsed, revealing the basement. The area where whatever had caused the destruction had occurred was simply gone, a gaping hole in the roof of the basement, with the edges of the hole still glowing faintly and a good portion of the nearby soil looked like it had been melted into glass.

Archer was also concerned, although for very different reasons. It wasn't often he came across things that could do this much damage without him having some idea as to the cause, particularly at this point in time. This really was something new and the Counter Guardian did NOT like that thought. It didn't really help that the smouldering remains of the house his old friend had once called 'home' had ignited a small spark of his old self. It really was impossible to dislike Sakura, so the idea of her having been caught up in whatever did this was not something he liked.

Archer narrowed his eyes as he scanned the area. Anyone caught in the blast center would have been vaporized, but there still would have been something he could find. However, his razor sharp eyes could only find an indication that one person had died near the blast center and he didn't think it was Sakura. Other than that, there was no sign that anyone had been inside the house when it went up as he could see Shinji being tended to by paramedics and looking like his entire world had just imploded. Now the only question was, where in the world was Sakura?

He was just about to suggest that they ask Shirou about it, since his old self was the one most likely to know, when his razor sharp sense detected another surge of power from close by, similar to the one that had caused this destruction. However, this time it was far more controlled, much lower in intensity and seemed to be geared more towards…protection? Yes, thats what it was. He was pretty sure that no one else could have sensed it unless they were in the same room, but his senses were finely tuned and he was actually looking for it.

"Archer, can you see anyone down there?" asked Rin, trying to keep her worry for her sister out of her tone.

"No, but I just sensed the same energy again nearby," said the red clad Hero, "We might be able to find something out if we find whatever did this."

Rin hesitated for a moment. While a large part of her was wanted to stay and try to find Sakura, the part of her that was a Magus was extremely interested in whatever had caused such a blast. Plus, like Archer said, they could find out exactly what happened and, hopefully, find Sakura.

"Alright, lets go," she said.

Archer nodded and jumped away in the direction he sensed the Magic from.

* * *

Back to Kariya

She tasted like blood and her lips were torn and bloody from her torture, but I didn't really notice as the energy that had been building inside me rushed out like a tidal wave and into Sakura's body. Her eyes widened in surprise, whether from the kiss or the sudden surge of energy I don't know, before they closed again as her writing resumed, although I don't think it was caused by pain this time. She moaned into my mouth as the last of the energy passed from me to her, before I broke the kiss and sat back. Despite that, Sakura was still apparently feeling the affects of the Youth as she was flushed, panting and rubbing her thighs together.

"W-what was that?!" spluttered Rider, a look of utter disbelief on her face and I'm pretty sure her eyes were wide behind her blindfold.

"That was the power of the Youth Avatar," said Erica, sounding rather put out by something, "It allowed Kariya to transfer some of his Campione vitality to another in exchange for a vow of loyalty. Apparently, it worked rather well on Sakura."

As my Knight and Servant were talking, Sakura slowly relaxed, apparently asleep, although her cheeks were still slightly red and she was wearing a rather satisfied smile. I slipped my arms under her and hoisted her up in a bridle carry, placing her on the couch where she'd be more comfortable.

"Mmm, Kariya…" she mumbled as I covered her with a blanket.

I smiled and ran my fingers through her hair.

"Will she be OK?" asked Rider.

"I think so," I said, "I think the Youth burnt every one of those damn parasites to ash and healed her body back to full health."

"Um, why is her hair changing colour?" asked Erica.

Indeed, it was impossible to miss. Her hair had already half changed from purple back to its natural Tohsaka brown and I had no doubt that her eyes were also changing. I admit, I hadn't been expecting that, but if the Youth had restored her body to its natural state before Zoukens meddling, I shouldn't be that surprised.

"No idea," I said, "Maybe she dyes it and the Youth's rejecting it. We'll have to ask tomorrow."

I got to my feet and stretched.

"Man, I'm beat. Come on ladies, lets…"

I was cut off when the window suddenly exploded and two figures in red burst into the room.

 **And I think I'll leave it there. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but hey, for once I can safely say what'll happen next time!**

 **So, everyone in town now knows that Kariya's in town and someone was dumb enough to piss him off. As such, he now has Archer worried, Berserker seems to be undergoing some changes and Gilgemesh is really not pleased about his presence.**

 **Speaking of Goldilocks, just how and why does he know Pandora? And why does he have a Demon Grin of his own? This could be rather interesting.**

 **Yes, Archer has indeed had an encounter with a Campione, although in his case it was Aisha and didn't end in a fight. I considered using John Pluto Smith, simply because her persona as a Hero would probably annoy Archer, but shes only in her 20s and I wanted to take it back at least a century.**

 **And with that, I'm gonna sign off. Next time, a confrontation between Kariya and Rin and possibly a minor case of short circuiting as a result. If only because I want to write Rins reaction to Kariya taking a Gandr shot to the face without flinching. Until then, don't forget to leave a review!**


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